Tuesday, 19th March 2024
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Is shortage of tomato in sight?

Four months ago, in fact, from April to late June this year, most Nigerian families found it difficult to make their stew or cook other delicacies with fresh tomatoes.

Tomato

Four months ago, in fact, from April to late June this year, most Nigerian families found it difficult to make their stew or cook other delicacies with fresh tomatoes.

The simple reason is that scarcity of the produce hit the markets.

The development led many to seek alternatives such as cooking stew with palm nut juice which in Igboland is popularly called “Ofe akwu’’.

In Delta it is called “Banga Soup’’ and many others yet adopted the use of only tomato puree and dried tomatoes.

Also people blended fresh carrots and pepper to have their stew for rice and other foods. Be that as it may, it is the effect of tomato scarcity.

The scarcity, agriculturists say is caused by the pest “ Tuta Absoluta’’, locally named “Tomato Ebola’’, that destroyed virtually all the tomato farms in the northern part of Nigeria.

It is the specie of moth in the scientific family of Gelechiidae known by the common names tomato leafminer and South American tomato moth.

The pest, between March and April ravaged tomato farms across the country, badly affecting farms in Kaduna and Abuja environs and beyond.

This development shot up the prices of tomatoes in the market and put it out of reach of ordinary Nigerian.

The development led many traders to start importing the produce from Ghana, Republic of Benin and Cameroon. Their imports are majorly, the specie called “Derica’’ believed to be of high quality.

Derica now sells for four or five lobes for N200 as against N500 between February and June.

But now, tomatoes are gradually coming into the markets because the local specie is now being harvested with the hope that the Derica will by August flood the markets.

Mr Bola Oyeleke, the Chairman, Tomatoes and Orchard Producers Association of Nigeria (TOPAN), says the pest invasion is the result of not preparing farm lands for six months before actual planting.

“Farmers do not take time to clear, fumigate and ensure that disease-causing pests are eradicated before planting.

“This is partly the result of non-availability of chemicals needed to fumigate farmlands to eradicate the disease causing pests and weed control chemicals,’’ he said.

Mr Adeniyi Sola-Bunmi, the National Co-ordinator, Youth in Agric Business Development and Innovation, Nigeria (YABDI), blamed the pest invasion on obsolete approach of old generation farmers to farming.

According to him, old farmers do not recognise the symptoms of the disease.

“There is need to sensitise farmers about happenings globally as well as need for farmers to use best practices to approach whatever they are doing.

“Farmers need now more of the presence of Extension Officers so that things like the pest invasion can be attended to proactively,’’ he said.

Sola-Bunmi says the pronounced symptoms of brownish leaves are one of the ways Tuta Absoluta can be identified.

He notes that the resultant scarcity of tomatoes was a clarion call for every Nigerian to invest in family farming.

“If we have gardens in our compounds, the effect of the scarcity would not have been much,’’ he said.

For Alhaji Haruna Mohammed, Chairman, Mile 12 Market Perishable Goods Association, the pest, Tuta Absoluta invasion of tomato farms is due to the prolonged dry season.

According to him, farmers have planted new tomatoes and they will be available in the markets by August and September.

“The insects come out and are very active during extreme sunshine.

“The insects always attack in dry season and harmattan periods.

“This is not the first time the insects are disturbing tomato farms but this year’s is severe. The insects are not active during rainy period.

“The farmers have planted another set of tomatoes and by September there will be tomatoes as the rain is falling now,’’ he said.

Mohammed says that tomato periods are always from August to early February of every year.

He notes that tomatoes are not available from middle of February to March as these months are not tomato producing periods.

“Tomato buyers and sellers are not feeling fine at all with this situation. It has affected us seriously,’’ he said.

According to him, the traders are buying tomatoes from Cameroon and Ghana to make up until they start harvesting the new ones planted to replace those ravaged by insects.

“It costs between N500, 000 and N600, 000 to bring tomatoes to Lagos from Cameroon and Ghana.

“This is the reason tomatoes are scarce and costly when seen in the market.

“This is a nightmare and tomato traders are praying for August to come so that the nightmare will be over.

According to him, this period is not good for both the sellers, buyers and consumers as everybody is complaining the scarcity and the attendant high price.

Prof. Clement Akoshile, President, Nigerian Meteorological Society (NMetS), says that some of the things that destroy tomatoes and any other produce are the insects that lay caterpillars on them.

“This means that at a particular season the insects come in and do havoc on tomatoes.

“If rainfall is not properly distributed after planting it will be difficult for the plants to survive.

“If there is prolonged drought, little insects will come and lay their eggs and some of the eggs mature into larvae that eat up the plants.

“If they have conducive environment, good temperature, good moisture, they will come and lay their eggs.

“One can spread so fast like locust and destroy everything,’’ he said.

Akoshile adds that if farmers are able to follow Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) predictions on weather and rainfall patterns in different parts of the country they will minimise their losses.

Dr John Olaoye, Senior Lecturer, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, University of Ilorin, says the particular species of insects that invade tomato farms are the type that multiply rapidly.

According to him, the insects also have proved resistant to whatever chemicals are being used to eradicate them.

“The issue with the insects that infest tomato farms are that if you are able to spray an insecticide that can control them, they develop resistance while dying.

“And others that come up will prove resistant to whatever chemical that are being applied and that is why it is difficult to stop them.

“The current thing is that we are developing a chemical that will eradicate them in some areas where it had occurred.

“This is one negative effect weather can have on farm lands.

“The insects that have developed some kind of resistance will thrive if the condition is favourable.

“There is no guarantee that it may not occur next year because without good weather, it will not manifest,’’ he said.

Olaoye is of the opinion that the best way to approach it is to ensure that if there is a manifestation of the disease on a particular crop, that plant should be removed.

He says this way, one is sure that if another set of crops are planted, they will not likely be infested.

Alhaji Lawal Adam, the Secretary of Mile 12 Market Tomato Section, says that no pest problem has been recorded in tomato farms after the fumigation and new ones planted.

He says that harvesting good varieties known as Derica will start soon.

“Since the pest saga, the farmers, states Ministries of Agriculture and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture as well as other stakeholders are working hard to check a recurrence.

“We hope to start harvesting tomatoes soon and then the importation will stop.

“The price of tomatoes has improved from what it was as the local varieties are in the market now.

“However, a basket that sells for N4,000 before now goes for between N15, 000 and N18,000,’’ he said, expressing the hope that the development will crash the prices.

In all, the impact of the scarcity was felt because of the absence of storage facilities, low local processing capacity and the lack of a culture of preservation through local and orthodox methods.

Dangote Tomato Processing Plants at Kadawa, Kano State worth N2.5 billion and has a capacity of 120 ton per day has suspended production due to lack of fresh tomatoes to process.

However, Erisco Foods Ltd., with a 450,000 tons processing capacity in Lagos is producing but it is not sufficient to satisfy the needs of the country.

But the factories are not enough to save the country the foreign exchange it wastes on the importation of tomato pastes to meet local consumption demands, especially at periods when diseases strike the crop.

To make sure that the domestic consumption needs are met, the government should encourage more farmers to engage in tomato cultivation with modern technology and pest-resistant seeds.

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